Joko: The Link

Amazon.com
Youssou N'Dour's Joko: From Village to Town saw release everywhere except the U.S. But a new label sees this album, similar, but far more tightly focused, doing better in the American market. Gone are the overly Westernized fluff and the collaborations with Sting and Wyclef Jean. Two newly recorded tracks, "Mademba (The Electricity Is Out Again)" and "Miss," increase the Senegalese quotient, serving to remind just why N'Dour and his high, charismatic voice are one of music's icons. "This Dream," with Peter Gabriel, remains on this Joko, but it sits well in a set that keeps close to N'Dour's real mbalax roots but still manages to have true Western appeal. N'Dour is in top form throughout, keening the way he once did with Etoile de Dakar, his writing more inventive and assured, and Jimi Mbaye's guitar work outstanding throughout. This is the album N'Dour has needed to make for many years, where his heart and his art meet. A complete success. --Chris Nickson

Joko: The Link,Youssou N'Dour,Nonesuch,Africa,African,Afro-Pop,Int'l & World Music,Mbalax,Pop,Senegal,World Music,Worldbeat

Average customer rating:

Took the "Afro" out of Afropop

Slick, but I like it...!!

Good but not Great

What Music Should Be

A glorious success, one of my most favourite C.D.'s

Joko: The Link
Youssou N'Dour , Sting , and Peter Gabriel
Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Africa | International | Styles | Music
Senegal & Gambia | Africa | International | Styles | Music
General | International | Styles | Music
General | Pop | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B00004X0LZ
Release Date: 2000-09-05

Tracks:

Wiri-Wiri
Birima
Mademba (The Electricity Is Out Again)
This Dream
Yama
She Doesn't Need To Fall
Miss
Beykat
Liggeey
My Hope Is In You
Red Clay

Amazon.com

Youssou N'Dour's Joko: From Village to Town saw release everywhere except the U.S. But a new label sees this album, similar, but far more tightly focused, doing better in the American market. Gone are the overly Westernized fluff and the collaborations with Sting and Wyclef Jean. Two newly recorded tracks, "Mademba (The Electricity Is Out Again)" and "Miss," increase the Senegalese quotient, serving to remind just why N'Dour and his high, charismatic voice are one of music's icons. "This Dream," with Peter Gabriel, remains on this Joko, but it sits well in a set that keeps close to N'Dour's real mbalax roots but still manages to have true Western appeal. N'Dour is in top form throughout, keening the way he once did with Etoile de Dakar, his writing more inventive and assured, and Jimi Mbaye's guitar work outstanding throughout. This is the album N'Dour has needed to make for many years, where his heart and his art meet. A complete success. --Chris Nickson

Customer Reviews:

Took the "Afro" out of Afropop.......2002-12-05

Horrid pop music. Watered down anti-mbalax rock that sullies the good name of Youssou N'dour. Granted this version is SLIGHTLY better than its original form/release (Joko: From Village to Town)- but make no mistake this was produced to appeal to Western sensibilies, abandons most attributes of senegalese Afropop (mbalax), leaving trite English lyrics, downbeat accented, unpolyrhythmic pop music more akin to Peter Gabriel than other N'dour albums. Recommened instead are
Ndour's "Best of 80's" & Rough Guide to Youssou N'dour & Etoile de Dakar", and Thione Seck/Raam Daan's "Live Aniversary."

Slick, but I like it...!!.......2002-11-26

Senegal's Youssou N'Dour is arguably the most famous African pop artist alive; he's certainly one of the leading exponents of the slick, high-tech production style that has grown out of the Parisian expatriate scene over the last few decades... This is his first album in over six years and, like other recent African pop albums, it points to a resolution of the aesthetic bridge that separates fans of a more stripped-down sound and those who like the soft stuff. There are still a few touches that make me cringe -- a soprano sax here, an overwrought chorus there -- but overall this album has a nice organic feel to it... pleasant, listenable, seductive. The only problem, really, is that so many of these songs end so quickly; it's as though someone advised N'Dour to trim his tunes down because eight-minute long songs won't get as much airplay in America. The four-minute long compromises mostly end just when things are getting good, and several seem kind of bluntly edited... The good news is, N'Dour's new songs sound great. I just wish I could hear more of them.

Good but not Great.......2002-07-20

I think Youssou N'Dour is losing his edge a bit. His last few albums have been decent but nowhere near as good as "Set" and "Eyes Open", where there is not a weak track to be found. His more recent stuff is more uneven and a bit too "pop", in my opinion.

What Music Should Be.......2002-07-11

One reviewer wrote that Youssou is the milestone for African Artists. I would go further and say that his music is what all music should be. I have a couple hundred CD's ranging from Classical, to Punk; from Andean to Zimbabwa and Youssou NDour sits at the top of my list, next to Mozart, Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan and Oliver Mtukudzi. You do not just listen to his music, you absorb it, what ever language he sings in. My favorite from this album is Red Clay, a melancholy tune about searching for one's soul, only to realize that it is always with you on the road of life, right there at your feet, whatever the situation is.

A glorious success, one of my most favourite C.D.'s.......2002-02-08

This is a magnificent C.D. The best he has done yet!
In the same way that Nelson Mandela is the yardstick for every African Politician, Youssou N'Dour is the yardstick for every African Musician.
As a singer he is unique, as he has both a very powerful voice, and a very wide vocal range.
This is a selection of some wonderfully crafted songs, maybe a bit more popish than his usual offerings, but great nevertheless. Nearly every track is very good, and also there are a few exceptional tracks e.g. Birima.
The musicianship and production on many African artists work often does not do justice to the beauty of their work, possibly due to the financial constraints, however it does on this C.D.
Anybody interested in listening to African music for the first time, must buy this C.D.
Anybody who is an African music lover will have this C.D.

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